China to launch road etiquette education campaign

Updated:
Nov 4,2015 9:39 PM
Xinhua

China will launch a public education campaign on road etiquette after several high-profile cases of road rage violence and emergency lane blockage this year.

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS), together with several other ministries, announced on Nov 4 that activities will be held to boost public awareness of safe and polite driving before this year’s “national traffic safety day” which will fall on Dec 2.

Public education will be carried out via mass media and in villages, enterprises and driving schools to advocate against a slew of hazardous behaviors, including street racing, drunken driving, road rage, and blocking emergency lanes, the MPS said.

Police will also heighten a crackdown on dangerous driving behaviors during the same period.

Several cases drew public attention to reckless driving this year.

In May, a video went viral showing a female driver being savagely beaten by an angry young man in retaliation for a dangerous lane change.

Tragedies caused by road rage have also been on the rise in recent years. Statistics of the MPS showed that in 2013, a total of 80,200 accidents were triggered by road rage, up 4.9 percent year on year. The number rose by 2.4 percent in 2014.

In October, a driver stuck in cab after an accident, died because rescue efforts were delayed due to the highway emergency lane being blocked in Zhejiang province.